Many World Wide Web sites on the Internet host pages which contain streaming video. When the user (viewer) clicks on an icon indicating a video clip, the Web server delivers a digital video data stream representing the requested video clip.
In order to play the streaming video, the video data is typically stored (cached) at the user (client) location, and run using a compatible software plug in module. One well known format for video streaming is Quicktime by Apple Computer Corporation of Cupertino, Calif. USA. Using the Quicktime software decoder, a locally stored video clip may be played, paused, resumed or replayed from the beginning. Streaming video in HTML Web pages has the potential to present video clips lasting several seconds or minutes, or even to feature length movies lasting several hours.
The Quicktime software decoder is adapted to run on a standard compatible PC or an Apple Computer Macintosh. A typical PC uses a central processing unit (CPU) based on a microprocessor from Intel Corporation running the Windows operating system from Microsoft Corporation. The Quicktime software decoder needs a computing environment having substantial resources in terms of hard disk storage, RAM memory and microprocessor speed. For example, a PC equipped to run Quicktime encoded video clips would include a Pentium class Intel microprocessor and substantial RAM memory.
Many households do not have a PC and therefore have limited access to the Internet. However, many households do have a television receiver and access to a cable television (CATV) connection. For those viewers with access to CATV, Internet connectivity can be provided over the CATV system in conjunction with the television receiver. The interface between the CATV subscriber and the CATV system is typically a CATV set-top box.
However, CATV set-top boxes are cost sensitive consumer items that use an inexpensive microprocessor and a minimum of RAM memory. As a result, most CATV set-top boxes are resource poor and ill equipped to locally store or run Quicktime encoded video clips. Video clips larger than the available RAM memory may have to be displayed in segments resulting in a wait period during which successive segments are swapped in memory. The performance of a typical CATV set-top box when running Internet delivered Quicktime streaming video is at times so slow as to be wholly inadequate.